Between going to law school and being a philosophy major before that, studying the Why behind an idea or policy was something that we were just taught over and over again.

But honestly, I think it started even way before then back to when I was little. Because I was that kid who would sit around pondering life and figuring out my mission statement while the other kids were figuring out A-A-B-B-up-down-up-down on Super Mario World.

What can I say...I was a weird kid, Internet.

But I think maybe those are the kinds of things that happen when you grow up not having a lot. You start to think a lot about where you're going, so that where you are in the mean time can make more sense. That this is just one chapter in the story, and the rest is still unwritten (thanks for that Natasha Bedingfield).

Or y'know....maybe I was just weird. :)

But either way, over time I've become a huge fan of Why and the idea that, "If you have a strong enough Why, you can endure any How."

And from that, I've learned that starting with Why you want to do something becomes absolutely paramount to whether you'll actually be able to do it or not. And whether you do it in a way that fits with a purpose you can be proud of. Because it's that Why that carries you through the tough times.

I know this is super heavy material for a Friday, but I recently got the chance to write an article for Shutter Magazine all about this idea of Starting with Why and I would love to share it with you guys today. It came together in a way that I'm really proud, and if you have a few spare minutes today that you don't know what to do with....I would be honored to have you read it!